Two years ago(isn) I attended my first ever convention in Cardiff. We had a stand all day but we sold out in less than 1 hour. I still don’t know how that happened as the books were selling at a rate of more than one a minute. That was Fallen Heroes, my first complete issue, and boy, did it give me the wrong impression of world in indy comics. But it remains a very cool memory of my first drop into indy comics. Folks were friendly, both in front and behind the tabletops.

This time it’s Moon heading to Cardiff, on a table that became spare at the last minute. Dan’s lovely wife, Fi, is having her birthday this weekend and it was decided that Dan should fulfill his husbandly duties and spend it with her.

So it is me, Lonely warrior of the South East who will make the trek to the highlands of the countries great principality. I look forward to close harmony singing and I don’t look forward the inevitability of rain – as I understand it, if it’s a nice weekend it will be the first in 3000 years and will be believed to be an omen of the apocalypse by the local gentry. I may have misunderstood much of what I claim to understand of Cardiff. But it was raining last time….

In all seriousness, we look forward to bringing our Defender of the British Isles to meet our brothers in Wales. Despite spending many years in England, Moon is a great fan of consistent, passionate rugby and so has never known who to back in the 6 Nations. Just not the French.

Like every one of us will one day do, Neil Armstrong today departed the Earth. Yet unlike almost all of us, it wasn’t for the first time. Only a few times in a generation does an individual pass into legend, I think we can all safely say that such a moment has occurred today.

You can read the BBC’s full obituary here but we shall simply say, Rest in Peace, Neil Armstrong and thank you.

In 1963 a company called Aerojet-General built a factory/research lab in the Florida Everglades with the goal of producing rockets for the Apollo Moon landings. They built the largest solid fuel rocket in the world and then dug the biggest silo in Florida to store it in and the biggest canal to transport it along. But it was all for nought. NASA elected to go with liquid fuelled rockets and Aerojet never got the contract. Since then the plant, rocket and all has been quiet rusting away in a remote swamp.

Sounds like the opening of a Bond pitch but it’s true and fascinating. Enjoy.

D
x

(It’s my stag night this evening. I can only apologise in advance to my twitter followers. I fear we may be entering a dark place.)